Bus crashes in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 Egyptian pilgrims
Nineteen people were killed after a bus carrying Egyptian pilgrims crashed in Saudi Arabia Saturday, six months after a deadly incident in Mina, which claimed the lives of hundreds of pilgrims.
The bus was transporting 44 Egyptians, including two children, when it overturned on the road between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. At least 22 people were also injured in the incident.
The reason behind the incident is not known yet but reports say the driver of the vehicle fell asleep prior to the crash.
.
An official with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Hisham al-Naqeeb, told the MENA news agency that the bodies of the dead were transferred to different hospitals in Medina.
The pilgrims were performing Umrah, a minor Hajj pilgrimage, which can be done at any time of the year.
Saudi Arabia has been under harsh criticism for failing to provide security for Hajj pilgrims and mishandling of the religious ritual.
The kingdom is especially under fire over its role and handling of the Mina incident during the 2015 Hajj ceremony.
Hundreds of pilgrims lost their lives in the Mina disaster in September 2015, when two large masses of them were directed by Saudi authorities toward one another and fused at a crossroads in Mina. The pilgrims were on their way to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan in Jamarat.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the incident, but officials with Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people, including 465 Iranians, lost their lives in the tragedy. An AP record says 2,426 pilgrims died in the incident.
The Mina disaster came days after a massive construction crane collapsed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 people and leaving over 200 others wounded.
Separately, a fire at a 15-story hotel in Mecca on September 21, 2015, forced the evacuation of some 1,500 people. A fire also broke out at another hotel in the city days earlier, which left a number of foreigners injured.
Israel to block rare Saudi-led ministerial delegation from visiting West Bank: Report
More Saudi airlines set to fly to Iran after first flight lands on Tehran’s tarmac amid détente
Trump signs $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia
Iraq says US sanctions blocking Turkmenistan's gas flow via Iran
Hamas condemns US envoy’s ‘blatant disregard’ for Palestinian rights
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Air Force ready to defend Iran skies ‘under any circumstances’: Commander
Israel delays incoming flights after Yemen’s missile targets airport
VIDEO | Yousef Mawry weekly show
Iran’s pistachio exports up by 143% in year to March: Official
VIDEO | Becoming a critical thinker & an anti-imperialist writer
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
